The New Protector
by FantasyWriter345
Summary: Inuyasha has betrayed Kagome. He lead her to her death. But she was rescued by the most unlikely person. Some characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. OCs belong to me. Rate M in later chapters.
1. Betrayal

Chapter 1: Betrayal

Kagome slowly walked away where she saw Inuyasha kissing Kikyō. Two and a half years she had spent searching for the jewel shards with her friends. During those two years, she had fallen in love with her hanyō friend, Inuyasha. But he didn't return her feelings. She was just his precious shard detector, nothing more. He only saw Kikyō, his undead lover, in her. Inuyasha had always called her weak, stupid, ugly, and helpless. He kept saying that Kikyō was great at everything. She was tired of it. She didn't know why he would say such awful things to her. Does he like to hurt people who care about him or does he always want to vent his anger out on her? Kagome accepted him for who he is, but it seems like he will never accept her for who she is. Whenever Koga comes by, he tells him that he belongs to her. But what he really means that she's his property, his possession. That's all she was to him: his possession. Which meant that he can treat her in any way he wanted. Then she heard footsteps behind her. She quickly readied her arrow. When she turned towards the noise, she saw Inuyasha staring at her.

"Oh, Inuyasha. It's you." Kagome said as she lowered her arrow.

"Give me the shards, wench." Inuyasha said.

"What?" Kagome asked, confused.

"I said give me the jewel shards, wench!" Inuyasha said, growled. Kagome didn't know why Inuyasha was acting this way. But her body told her to do one thing: run! Kagome turned and ran through the forest with Inuyasha on her tail. She didn't care about the tree branches scratching her arms and legs. She didn't care about which direction she was going in. All she knew what that she had to get away from Inuyasha.

The next thing she knew, she was on the edge of a cliff. She saw a few pebbles fall from the edge. She couldn't even see the bottom. She felt Inuyasha's aura getting closer and closer to her. Kagome couldn't decide whether to jump or not. If she jumped, she would die. But if she gets captured by Inuyasha, she would _also_ die. Then she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw Inuyasha walking towards her.

"You got no where to run, wench. Just hand over the jewel shards and I just might let you live." Inuyasha said with a dark smirk. Kagome suddenly grew frightened of the Inuyasha that stood in front of her. She took a step back...but it turned out to be a wrong step. The next thing she knew the wind was blowing against her back as she fell...down into the dark bottom.

* * *

Bankotsu stared at the moon and stars as he sat by the river. It had been five months since he had been revived. He had no idea who or why he was revived. How come his brothers weren't revived as well? It didn't make any sense to him. When he first woke up, he was in a temple. A monk named Shinichi kindly took him in. He was curious to why the monk took him in. He simply didn't trust him. The next day, after he was found, he tried to attack the monk. But he simply dodged it and then he attacked again and again. Shinichi was still able to dodge him as if he was just a beginner at fighting. He felt so embarrassed at that moment. He couldn't believe he got beaten by a monk. He wondered where a monk like him learned how to fight like that.

He sighed and stood up. Then he noticed something as he stood up, he saw a piece of pink floating above the water. He walked into the river and grabbed it. It was a piece of cloth from some sort of pink clothing. He got out of the river and decided to head where the cloth probably had come from. He went up the river and found a body lying on the river side. When he got closer, he froze in his tracks. He recognized the body: it was the priestess who traveled with that hanyō, Inuyasha. He wondered what she was doing all the way out here. He knelt down to check her injuries. She had trails of blood coming her forehead and left arm and her clothes were mostly tattered. He checked to see if she was still breathing. To his relief, she still was. But they were short breaths.

 _I know that she was my enemy before, but...I can't just leave her here like this._ Bankotsu thought. He carefully picked up the girl and held her bridal style. He walked towards the temple of where he was staying. As he walked, he looked down at the girl and felt sorry for her. He didn't know why her protector would leave her here like this. To his state of mind, her protector wasn't really much a protector. When he finally arrived at the temple, Shinichi had a look of complete shock.

"I found her by the river. She's heavily injured, Shinichi." Bankotsu said.

"Bring her in. I'll treat her injuries. Give me a hand, Bankotsu." Shinichi said.

"Hai." Bankotsu said as he brought her inside.

* * *

Bankotsu stared at the young priestess as she slept. She looked so innocent and young as she slept. But she had a look of pain on her face. Then he noticed tears coming from the corners of her eyes. He reached over and wiped the tears away. He wondered what she was dreaming about to make her cry. It sadden him for some strange reason. He had never felt such sadness in a long time. Actually, he couldn't remember when.

"Why? Why Inuyasha?" Kagome whispered. Bankotsu was wondering the same thing. Why would he leave one of his friend to die? He reached forward and held onto her clenched fist. Then her fist relaxed as he gently held onto it.


	2. I'll Protect You

Chapter 2: I'll Protect You

Flashback:

 _Kagome's body was pushed back and forth as she went down river. The water was beyond cold as she tried to stay afloat. She tried to grab onto the boulders in the river, but it was useless. She wondered if she was going to die like this. She didn't want to leave her friends behind. She couldn't abandon her duty. Even if she was the one who shattered the sacred jewel, she wouldn't abandon it. But she was glad that she left Inuyasha. He no longer had a place in her heart now and he never will be. Then she saw the edge._

Kagome gasped as she sat up from the bed. As she did, pain took over her body. She remembered Inuyasha's betrayal and falling off the cliff. She didn't expect that there would be a river down below. She guessed that she was somewhat lucky. Then she noticed her surroundings. She knew that she wasn't in Kaede's hut. It looked she was in a room at a inn. But it looked more like a room at a temple. The shoji door opened and Kagome's widened at the figure who stood in the doorway. This person had a purple four star tattooed on his forehead and dark shade of cobalt eyes. He wore a pair of white hakamas with a white haori and a patch of iron shoulder guard with a purple like fern pattern on his left shoulder that's attached with the rest shoulder by a piece of red cloth. There was also a red sash tied around his waist. He wore black gloves that are held in place by his middle finger.

This man was someone her group had fought against with six other members of his. His members nearly killed all of them during that time. The last time she saw him was when he was defeated by Inuyasha.

"Bankotsu." Kagome said. She didn't expect Bankotsu to be standing in front of her. Well, alive that is.

"You're awake. That's good." Bankotsu said as he walked over to her and sat down next to her, "How are you feeling?"

"I feel achy all over." Kagome said, rubbing her shoulder and back.

"Well, you should lie back down." Bankotsu said.

"Hai." Kagome said as she laid back down into the futon. Bankotsu pulled the cover up to her chin.

"Get some more rest. Then I'll bring you some food later." Bankotsu said.

"Hai." Kagome said. Then Bankotsu stood up and headed towards the door.

"Bankotsu." Kagome said.

"Hai?" Bankotsu asked, glancing over his shoulder.

"Thank you for saving me." Kagome said.

"You're welcome." Bankotsu said, giving a small smile. Then he opened the door and left the room. The room went quiet afterwards. Kagome had never expected that Bankotsu had saved her from death. She was very thankful towards him. Even though they were enemies before. She had to admit that he has a nice smile. Even though it was a small one. She slowly closed her eyes and went into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Bankotsu knew that she was shocked to see him. He was somewhat expecting that she would freak out when she saw him. If she found out that he saw her partly naked when he and Shinichi were treating her wounds, that's probably when she'll freak out. He blushed when he saw her half naked body. He had to admit that she has a beautiful body. Nice rounded breasts, heart shaped face, pouty lips that were dying to be kissed, and not a pound of baby fat on her milky colored skin. He shook his head at the memory and tried to think about something else. Well, right now he wanted to know why the hanyō left her. But first, he went to tell Shinichi that she was awake and went back to sleep. Later he would get her some food. He could tell that she had quite a night.

* * *

"Where's Kagome, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked when he saw Inuyasha entering the camp. All three of them waited all night for Kagome and Inuyasha to return to the camp. But only Inuyasha showed up this morning. It seemed odd to them.

"Huh?" Inuyasha asked, confused.

"I said, 'where's Kagome?' She was looking for you." Miroku said.

"She left." Inuyasha said, bluntly.

"What do you mean?" Sango asked, her brow arched.

"She went back home." Inuyasha said.

"What?" Sango asked. It didn't make sense to Sango, Kagome would never run back home without telling them. She had a feeling that Inuyasha was hiding something from them and it probably wasn't good.

"We don't need her anymore. She's useless. So Kikyō will be joining us." Inuyasha said, "Kikyō is stronger than Kagome anyway."

Then Kikyō appeared from the shadows of the trees. She was smiling at them. But the others knew it wasn't an innocent smile. Miroku and Shippo could sense an unsettling aura around her. Kirara gave a low growl towards her. Sango had a very uncomfortable feeling coming from Kikyō. But what they were feeling right now was anger. Uncontrollable, extreme, boiling anger soon burst out of them.

"You're such a jerk, Inuyasha!" Sango said.

"What?!" Inuyasha exclaimed.

"You drove Kagome away!" Shippo said.

"I did not, you stupid runt!" Inuyasha said.

"Yes, you did! Kagome has stood by your side throughout our whole journey and you just threw her away!" Miroku said in an angry tone, "Some friend you are, Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha flinched at the tone of Miroku's voice. He had never, in all the time he had known him, heard such anger in his voice. He wasn't surprised at Sango's tone of anger though. But there seemed to be venom in her tone. He also felt Shippo's youki starting to rise as well. With the three of them acting this way, it made him feel uneasy.

"Anyway, we should be heading back, right?" Inuyasha asked, his head turned away. They packed up their belongings and headed towards Kaede's village. Inuyasha kept feeling all of the glares from his friends behind his back as they went along the path. He didn't know why they didn't want Kikyō to be with them. She's much stronger, smarter, and braver than Kagome. Not to mention that she was more beautiful than Kagome. To Inuyasha's point of view, Kagome was useless to him. She was his shard detector, that's all she was to him.

* * *

The next morning, Kagome felt refreshed as she sat up in her futon. Even though some of parts of her body were aching. She remembered everything that had happened to her the other night. Inuyasha's betrayal and falling off the cliff. She felt lucky to be alive at the moment. But now, she was wondering why Bankotsu was alive and how was he revived. It was quite a mystery to her. Then a knock broke her from her thoughts.

"Come in." Kagome said. The shoji door opened and Bankotsu appeared with a tray of food in his hand.

"Good, you're awake now." Bankotsu said as he came in and closed the door behind him, "I brought some food for you."

He walked over and laid the tray down next to her. There was a simple bowl of rice and cooked vegetables in a small dish along with a cup of water.

"Thank you." Kagome said as she sat up and turned towards the tray. She held the chopsticks and placed her hands together while closing her eyes,

"Thank you for this food."

Then she picked up the bowl of rice and started to eat. She didn't want to admit it, but she hadn't eaten in two days. Well, she was unconscious during those two days. She was very lucky that Bankotsu had saved her. If he hadn't, she would have died or probably become demon food. She looked across from her and saw that Bankotsu was looking at her. She started to blush under his gaze. Then she turned towards the question that had been bugging her since the other night.

"By the way, Bankotsu." Kagome said.

"Hmm?" Bankotsu asked.

"How are you still alive?" Kagome asked.

"That I don't know." Bankotsu said, "The only thing I remember is darkness and then I woke up inside of a temple. A monk named Shinichi took me in. He told me that he found me unconscious on the side of the road when he was on his way back to the temple. I didn't know why he did it, but I'm glad he did." Bankotsu said while closing his eyes.

"Can you tell me why you're not with the hanyō?" Bankotsu asked.

"He tried to force me to give him the jewel shards. I ran and found myself at the edge of a cliff. When he found me there, I accidentally took a step back and...fell off the cliff." Kagome said, looking down at the blanket.

"I see." Bankotsu said.

"Inuyasha probably told the others that I went back home or was killed by a demon." Kagome said.

"So how will he find the jewel shards?" Bankotsu asked.

"Kikyō. His undead lover." Kagome said.

"Undead lover?" Bankotsu asked with his brow arched. Kagome hated to talk about Kikyō. But she believed that Bankotsu deserved to know because he did saved her. So she told him about the undead priestess. She told him about Urasue, Kikyō's clay body, her soul being ripped out of her, Kikyō having the remaining piece, and how Kikyō obtains the souls of deceased maidens in order to survive.

"He's that hung over about her, huh?" Bankotsu asked, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, can you believe it?" Kagome asked.

"So will you continue to find the jewel shards?" Bankotsu asked.

"Of course. It's my responsibility to restore it!" Kagome said.

"I see." Bankotsu said, closing his eyes, "Then I'll be your protector."

"Huh?" Kagome asked, confused.

"Since that hanyō is no longer protecting you, I'll protect you instead." Bankotsu said, "I know you don't trust me very well. But I _will_ protect you."

"Are you sure, Bankotsu?" Kagome asked, suspicious of the mercenary who sat beside her. They were enemies before. But maybe, just maybe, they could put the past behind them and start anew.

"I'm sure. Besides, I'm getting bored just by sitting around here." Bankotsu said.

"Okay. But if you turn your back on me, I will purify you to hell and back." Kagome said, narrowing her eyes at him while pointing her finger at him.

"Deal." Bankotsu said, giving a smile. For some strange reason, she gave a small smile back to him.


	3. A New Partnership

Chapter 3: A New Partnership

Two days later, Kagome and Bankotsu were ready to go to find jewel shards. Kagome was given a new pair of priestess clothes since hers was in tatters. Before they decided to leave, they learned something new about the mysterious monk, Shinichi.

"So you're a demon slayer?" Kagome asked.

"I was. But I retired early after I married and settled down." Shinichi said.

"Oh, so that's where you learned all those moves." Bankotsu said. Now it made sense to him. He had heard that demon slayers knew all kinds of fighting styles. He couldn't believe that he was easily defeated by a retired demon slayer. Bankotsu wanted to learn those moves.

"Hai." Shinichi said, "But after my wife and children were killed by demons, I decided to live here and make this a temple for survivors of villages that were attacked by demons." Shinichi said.

"I see." Kagome said. She knew that there were many people get killed by demons and try to find a safe place to live. It was hard to find that kind of place these days.

"I never thought I would meet the Shikon Miko in person." Shinichi said.

"How did you know?" Kagome asked, shocked.

"I saw the jar of shards wrapped around your neck when I was treating your wounds." Shinichi said.

"Wait, did you see me half naked?" Kagome asked in a panic tone.

"I'm afraid so." Shinichi said with a closed eye smile. Kagome quickly placed her face in her hands. She was so embarrassed at that moment. She couldn't believe that a monk had seen her half naked body. She won't be able to marry because of this.

"Before you set off on your journey, there are some things that I believe you will need." Shinichi said as he stood up and went into the hallway with Kagome and Bankotsu behind him. He slid open the door and went to the closet part of the room. Then he brought out a sword.

"I want you to have this sword." Shinichi said, holding out the sword to Bankotsu.

"Me? Are you sure? It looks like an ordinary sword." Bankotsu said, pointing at the sword with his left eyebrow arched. The sword looked like a katana, but there seemed to be a calm and powerful feeling to it. It was like as if the weapon was waiting to be used by someone.

"This was my weapon that I used to fight against demons." Shinichi said.

"Really?" Bankotsu asked, curious.

"Hai. I figured that it might be a better use to you than to me." Shinichi said.

"Thanks, Shinichi." Bankotsu said as he placed the sheathed sword around his waist.

"You're welcome, Bankotsu." Shinichi said, smiling, "Make sure to take good care of it."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it." Bankotsu said.

"Good. Well then, you'll need to get ready for the journey ahead. I presume you're leaving tomorrow?" Shinichi asked.

"Hai. It would be best if we get an early start." Kagome said.

"Very well. I will give you some provisions for your journey." Shinichi said.

"Thank you very much, Shinichi-sama." Kagome said with a bow.

* * *

The next day, Kagome and Bankotsu set out to find the jewel shards. Shinichi watched the duo as they walked further and further down the path.

 _I don't know what your destiny is, Bankotsu. But it's possible that it is tied to Lady Kagome. Make sure to protect her with your whole heart,_ Shinichi thought, _for she has a shattered heart that needs to be put together again._

* * *

"So where should we start?" Bankotsu asked as they walked along the road. It had only been two hours since they left temple.

"Well, we should head towards the next village to see if they have any demon troubles. There is a slight chance that the demon might have a jewel shard." Kagome said.

"Good point." Bankotsu said, rubbing his chin. He had to admit that this girl, Kagome, was smart. She seemed to always have a plan.

"There were times that Inuyasha didn't want to help a village that had a demon problem, even if the demon didn't have a jewel shard." Kagome said.

"Quite the jerk I must say." Bankotsu said with his hands behind his head.

"I fully agree with you, Bankotsu-san." Kagome said.

"San?" Bankotsu asked, brow arched.

"Well...you are older than me." Kagome said, "How old are you anyway?"

"Well, I was around seventeen when I died. But I'm probably in my early twenties or possibly thirties now." Bankotsu said.

"Oh, I thought that you were the same age as me." Kagome said.

"How old are you, Kagome-chan?" Bankotsu asked, curious.

"Seventeen." Kagome said.

"Seventeen, huh?" Bankotsu asked.

"Hai." Kagome said.

"You're quite a powerful miko at the age of seventeen, Kagome-chan." Bankotsu said, smiling.

"Thank you, Bankotsu-san." Kagome said.

"Just call me Bankotsu. 'San' makes me feel like an old man." Bankotsu said.

"Alright. But only if you call me 'Kagome' as well." Kagome said.

"Deal." Bankotsu said as he smiled at Kagome who smiled back at him.

* * *

They finally arrived at a village. It turns out that a yōkai was causing some real trouble. The yōkai was an oni that kept killing all of the game in the forest and making it hard to collect nuts from the trees as well. Not mention that a few people have been missing whenever someone entered that forest.

So that's where Kagome and Bankotsu were right now. They followed along the dirt path that lead them to a tree filled with nuts. But it wasn't a pretty sight though. There were skeletons that were split in half all around them. There also fresh bodies around as well. It made Kagome feel uneasy whenever she saw something like this. Then Kagome felt a familiar pull throughout her body.

"I sense a jewel shard nearby, Bankotsu." Kagome said as she readied her bow and arrow.

"Which direction?" Bankotsu asked as he unsheathed his sword.

"It's circling around us." Kagome said, eyeing the area as she and Bankotsu stood back to back. The air around was still, but it was partly quiet. They waited for their opponent to make a move. Then 'it' attacked. Kagome quickly placed a barrier around her and Bankotsu. A creature that looked like a man sized weasel appeared with a sickle at hand and banged against the barrier with its sickle. It jumped a few feet away from them. The creature was breathing heavily as it seemed to be waiting for Kagome and Bankotsu to come out of the barrier. Kagome could see that the shard was on the sickle.

"It's a Kamaitachi." Kagome said as the creature continued to attack the barrier.

"A Kamaitachi?" Bankotsu asked, brow arched.

"A sickle weasel yōkai that appears out of nowhere and attacks unsuspecting victims with wind-based attacks." Kagome said. The yōkai threw some sort of a wind attack at the barrier. But the barrier was still up. Then she noticed that her barrier was starting to break. The creature seemed to notice it as well.

"Sounds like a formidable opponent." Bankotsu said with a smirk.

"The shard is on the sickle." Kagome said.

"So all we have to do is to separate the weapon from him, right?" Bankotsu asked.

"Hai." Kagome said, nodded.

"Alright then. Let's do it!" Bankotsu said with excitement. Then the creature headed towards them again. When the weasel yōkai got close to them, Kagome let down the barrier and Bankotsu headed towards it and cut the weasel's arm, that held the sickle, off. The yōkai screamed in pain as it held its hand (or paw). Unexpectedly, Bankotsu sliced off its head. The head rolled away from them. Kagome walked over to the sickle and plucked it from the blade. The shard was instantly purified. She took out her bottle that contain her collection of shards and put the shard inside.

"Wow, that wasn't so hard, huh Kagome?" Bankotsu asked as she walked over to him. Kagome placed her hand on the creature's head and it turned to ash. Then she walked over to the body and purified it as well.

"Hai, I thought that we would have more trouble with that kind of yōkai. But we managed to defeat it." Kagome said.

"Hai, so far we make a pretty good team, Kagome." Bankotsu said, smiling.

"I agree with you, Bankotsu." Kagome said, smiling back.


	4. Hot Spring Talk

Chapter 4: Hot Spring Talk

It had been three months since Kagome was gone from the group. Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara did not make any effort of trying to get along with Kikyō. Inuyasha kept trying to make them, but they refused. They have just left another village that was rumored that it had a demon problem. But the demon was already destroyed before they got to the village.

"How come we haven't found any jewel shards?" Inuyasha asked with his hands in his sleeves. He was a little bit irritated that they haven't found any jewel shards lately. Ever since Kagome was gone, they have only found one within the last few months.

"I don't know, Inuyasha. But the only thing I _do_ know that there was a rumor of a shard being here." Kikyō said.

"Maybe you're losing your powers, Kikyō." Sango said with her arms crossed.

"No she's not!" Inuyasha said, turning around and narrowing his golden eyes at Sango.

"Then how come she hasn't sensed any shards?" Sango asked, narrowing her brown eyes at Inuyasha. Kirara mewed in agreement. Miroku and Shippo nodded in agreement as well. Inuyasha was at lost for words at that moment. Well, it was mostly true that they haven't found any jewel shards lately. It was quite _possible_ that Kikyō is losing her powers. Although, Kagome does have the other half of her powers.

"If you have anyone to blame, blame Kagome. It's because of her that Kikyō needs more power. Besides Kagome is useless when it comes to her powers." Inuyasha said, huffed.

* * *

Kagome and Bankotsu:

"It's been three months, hasn't it?" Kagome asked as she placed her aching feet in the river.

"Really? I didn't really keep track of the time." Bankotsu said, rinsing his hands. They were on their way to the next village that was rumored of having a demon problem. So far, they have collected five jewel shards. Kagome knew that she was ahead of Kikyō and Inuyasha. But she really missed her group except Inuyasha. After all, he had made his choice of who he really wanted to be with.

"How we stop at the next village to restock and relax tomorrow?" Kagome asked, turning towards Bankotsu.

"Sounds like a plan." Bankotsu said, glancing at Kagome while taking his hands out of the water and wiping them on his hakamas as he stood up.

"First, we should get some fish for dinner tonight." Kagome said.

"No problem." Bankotsu said. Kagome took her feets out of the water and dried her feet. She put on her tabi and zori. Then stood up after adjusting them. When she turned around and placed her right foot on a stone, she started to fall forward. She closed her eyes, ready for the impact. But she didn't feel the ground, instead someone's arms wrapped around her. She opened her eyes and saw that Bankotsu was holding her against his chest.

"T-Thank you, Bankotsu." Kagome said as her cheeks started to turn pink. She never seen Bankotsu's face up close. She noticed that his eyes had a beautiful shade of blue. A little bit darker than hers though.

"No problem." Bankotsu said. Then he helped her get her footing right.

"Well, we should...start gathering fish for tonight." Kagome said, tucking her hair back behind her ear.

"Y-Yeah." Bankotsu said, scratching the back of his head while looking the other way. Then Kagome and Bankotsu headed back towards camp. What Kagome didn't know was that Bankotsu started to blush.

 _I didn't notice that her sapphire eyes were so beautiful._ Bankotsu thought. He couldn't understand why that Inuyasha would pick the dead priestess over Kagome. He soon realized that Kagome was indeed a beautiful woman. He knew that she was very kind towards anyone she meets. He saw the way she interacted with the village children and healing the sick and injured. She was powerful as well. He noticed that when he saw the way she defeated the demons they went up against.

 _Why would Inuyasha abandon Kagome for that dead priestess?_ Bankotsu thought. It didn't make any sense to him.

Later that night, Bankotsu and Kagome sat across from each other as their fish cooked. It was very silent between the two of them. The only sounds you could hear were the cackling of the flames from the fire and crickets singing along with other forest sounds. It was always like this whenever they camped out in the woods. Even when they were in inns as well. I guess you could say that they couldn't find much to talk about in times like these.

"Bankotsu." Kagome said, breaking the silence.

"Hm?" Bankotsu asked, raising his head up and looking at Kagome.

"Do you...do you miss your brothers?" Kagome asked, glancing at Bankotsu who sighed.

"Hai, almost every day do I think about them." Bankotsu said, looking up at the night sky.

"What about you, Kagome?"

"Huh?" Kagome asked.

"Do you miss your group?" Bankotsu asked.

"Everyone except Inuyasha." Kagome said.

"I see." Bankotsu said, "Fish is done."

Kagome got up and walked over to Bankotsu as he plucked the fish kabob and handed it to Kagome. Then she sat down next to him as he took the other fish kabob. They ate in silence as well.

"So," Bankotsu began to say when Kagome turned towards him, "How many shards have we gathered so far?"

"Five." Kagome said.

"I see." Bankotsu said.

"Well, I'll go take a bath." Kagome said walking over to her bag and gathering her bathing supplies. Then headed towards the hot spring. Bankotsu watched her go.

* * *

Kagome submerged herself into the warm water as she began to bath herself. It had been three months since she and Bankotsu have teamed up together to gather the jewel shards. She began to wonder why Bankotsu never stole the jewel shards whenever she was asleep or when he first found her. It was quite a mystery to her. She looked up and stared at the starry sky. She was deep in her thoughts that she didn't even notice Bankotsu stepping into the hot spring as well.

"Beautiful."

"Hai, they are." Kagome said. Then Kagome stiffened when she heard a voice across from her. Her eyes widened as she took in the person who was sitting in the hot spring with her: Bankotsu.

"B-Bankotsu?! What the heck are you doing here?!" Kagome exclaimed. She didn't expect Bankotsu to be in the spring with her.

"Bathing." Bankotsu said, leaning against his back against the wall of the spring with his arms laying on the edges.

"I-I can see that. But why couldn't you wait until I was done?" Kagome asked, nervously. She had to admit that he had a nice body. Strong abs and arms with a nice shade of skin. Not to mention beautiful cobalt eyes and long silky black hair. The purple four star on his forehead made him more mysterious and a strong warrior.

"I thought that you might need some protection while you bathed. Besides you never know when someone might pounce on you, Kagome." Bankotsu said, smiling.

"Please don't try to scare me, Bankotsu." Kagome said, wrapping her arms around her knees.

"Sorry. But I really mean it." Bankotsu said. Silence came between the two. More awkwardness came between the two. Couldn't take it anymore, Kagome decided to get out.

"Well, I'm done. I'll see you at the camp." Kagome said as she stood up and stepped out of the spring.

"H-Hai." Bankotsu said as he watched her get out and put her clothes back on. To his point of view, Kagome had a beautiful body that any woman would be envy of. But he saw a scar on her left hip. It looked like a bite mark of some sort. He wondered how she got that. He looked back up at the stars. It was true. He really did miss his brothers. It was a mystery to him to why he was the only one who was revived. Protecting Kagome and helping her gather the jewel shards were quite an adventure, yet it was almost a job as well. Somehow, it wasn't that bad of a job. There might be a good outcome at the end of it.


End file.
